Scavenger Hunt
by mimitrooper
Summary: It's amazing how one little game can affect a person/I'm pretty sure one of the things on the list wasn't for me to fall for a rockstar/I came to NYC for the usual business and ended up meeting the craziest girl ever and I cant picture myself without her
1. Chapter 1

**Hey! So... this is my new Smitchie :) Inspired by me and my friend's wild imagination. We wanted to do a scavenger hunt at our local mall, but we chickened out so instead i wrote a story. Hope you guys like! DISCLAIMER (always!) Leave a review? Tell me what you think :)

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How are your summers spent? Do you go to camp? Work some lame summer job? Maybe go on a vacation with the family to Disney World or somewhere fun? Or are you like me? Whose summers are normally spent at home, eating, sleeping and watching ridiculous amounts of television. Well, this year, I was sent to spend my summer at my Aunt Connie's with her husband Steve and my annoying cousin Emma. My parents had business trips the same week and decided to go on a cruise afterwards because they felt they were "growing apart". They didn't trust leaving me by myself for so long (after what happened last time) and thought it would be best for me to stay at my Aunt's.

It was July 16th. That day was another hot July day...

You know, one of those really humid days where your body feels clammy and no matter what you do, you still feel hot? Even sitting in the car with the AC on full blast wasn't making anything better.

It didn't help that my 10 year old cousin, Emma, wanted to go out to Manhattan today. She heard on some children's radio show that her favorite band in the world- what was their name again? 'Connect the Dots?'-was holding a contest in the city. It was like a scavenger hunt. First one to get all the items on the list by the end of the two-day contest, get's an all-expense-paid trip to LA where this band takes you to get a makeover, walk a red carpet event… basically you spend a weekend with some band.

Leecia's been talking about it non-stop ever since she heard the announcement.

I didn't want to go, you know? I had a perfect plan to just chill by the pool or hang inside and watch re-runs of _Charmed _or _One Tree Hill_…maybe even some_ Ghost Whisperer. _Not roaming around the city in this heat wave.

But yet, I was forced to go to this thing. Why? Because that little monster-child I call family has her parents wrapped around her little tiny pinky. One little pout and a 'Please mommy and daddy' causes them break down and let her go… ONLY if I agreed to go too. They didn't want to lose their 'precious daughter' in the Big Apple.

Pfft… like I'd go. I've never even heard of this band she's so obsessed about.

But of course, my aunt **had** to remind me why I'm staying at their house for the summer. So reluctantly, I **had** to give in… which led us to today, in a mini-van, heading to the city that never sleeps.

The car slowed down and the three of us got out of the car. And by three, I meant me, Emma and my friend Caitlyn. Cait lives in my aunt's neighborhood and we've been friends ever since I was little. I haven't seen her in a while because of a little mishap, but we're friends now… that's all that matters. I was prepping myself to beg her to come, but turns out she likes this band too… so it worked out perfectly.

"I want you guys at the hotel by 8 so we can check in…right here," my Aunt Connie said as we exited the car. We nodded and turned around to see three white tents. One had the banner: SIGN-UP HERE in big bold letters. The other tents had tables filled with papers and T-shirts.

"Come on guys… the line's this way," I said and guided my little cousin and my friend to one of the lines. It wasn't as long as I thought it'd be. Maybe we're early… or late… or people are just smart and thought: 'hey… it's going to be like, 104 degrees outside. Let's stay indoors.'

The line was moving quicker than I thought, and soon enough I was standing in front of the table.

"Hey there… Welcome to Connect 3's Scavenger Hunt. How many?" the lady asked, "the largest group you can have is five."

"Uh… three," I answered and she gave me three pieces of paper.

"Fill those out and hand them in to either one of those tables." Leading Caitlyn and Leecia, we sat on a ledge while I filled out the papers for both Emma and I. After filling them out, we walked to one of the tables and got our T-shirts, a bracelet, a map of the city, and a clue-sheet.

"The scavenger hunt can go as far as here, here, here and here," one of the employers said while drawing a box around a certain area of the map. "Have fun and good luck ladies." We smiled politely and walked away. Looking at the list, there were probably about a hundred things to look for. I sighed and stared at the clock on my wrist. It was twenty after eleven.

"Hey I'm hungry… want to get something to eat, and then we start this scavenger hunt?" I suggested.

"But Mitchie… if we don't start now, we won't be able to finish!" Emma complained.

I resisted rolling my eyes. "Fine… how about Cait starts with you while I go get something to eat?"

"But Mitch, you don't have a phone," Caitlyn pointed out.

I groaned before a light bulb went off in my head. "Em, let me borrow yours. That way, when I'm done I'll just text Cait and she can tell me where you two are."

Emma looked at me skeptically. "I don't know… mommy and daddy told me never to give you my phone under any circumstances."

This time I had to roll my eyes. "Oh come on… you have two choices. Start looking, or eat with me…" Emma bit her lip as she debated in her head on what to do. Sighing, she reached into her back pocket and handed me her phone. "Thank you… now go! We don't have a lot of time." Her eyes widened and the two of them bolted off, reading the first clue out loud.

* * *

Cautiously I looked around the corner before stepping out. Whew… no girls in sight. I've been doing this all morning, running away from screaming fans. It's not fun. I mean, I know I'm irresistible… but sometimes you got to let the rockstar breathe.

I walked up to the elevator and hit the 'down' button. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a little girl, painted in pink clothing. She stood at the end of the hallway staring at me. I turned to her and smiled, but all she did was stand there.

Another thing I don't like… the staring. I feel like shouting: 'Take a picture! It'll last longer!'

Seeing as the elevator decided to probably stop at every floor before mine, I looked back at the girl to see she hasn't moved a muscle.

"What are you staring at?" I snapped.

The little girl raised her small arm pointing it at me. From the distance, a girl's voice called out, "I think Amy found them!"

Panicking, I began to hit the elevator button a billion times, hoping it'll move faster. "C'mon…c'mon," I chanted under my breath. Finally it opened just as feet were heard -faintly- running down the hall. I rushed into the elevator and hit the ground floor button before attacking the 'close doors' one. The girls made it just as the doors closed. I blew out a sigh of relief.

Stupid Jason… he just **had** to suggest holding a Scavenger hunt. That's probably **the** dumbest idea I've **ever** heard from him. So now Connect 3 is stuck here, in Manhattan…in a hotel… running away from little girls. Apparently to complete the 'list-of-things-to-look-for' you must have your shirt signed by all three members, and a picture taken with at least one of them. There are no rules that said Connect 3 **can't** run away from the contestants (I've checked). After pointing that out, Nate and Jason practically ran for their lives as well.

The golden elevators slowly open, revealing the Tipton lobby. I scanned the lobby for any of the contestants, only spotting a group of four girls heading to the Tipton restaurant. I blew out a sigh of relief and stepped out of the elevator, only to bump into the candy girl. She froze when she saw it was me, only her mouth was quivering as she struggled to get out a sentence.

"Y-y-y-your Sh-Sh-ane Gr-Gr-Gr-"

"Gray!" Ugh people get worse and worse every minute. "Yes I'm Shane Gray!" Right after I said that, the entire lobby went quiet. Damn… maybe I shouldn't have blurted that out. Looking past the candy girl, I spotted the group of girls that was chasing me upstairs.

Oh crap…

Quickly I turned around and ran down a hallway. I looked back to see and hear the girls running and screaming after me. After a few more turns, I was positive I lost the girls, when I bumped into another small group of girls in the hotel's lounge. They were wearing the contest tees, staring at me speechless. Damn… I never get a break!

I broke out into another run, but this time it was a lot easier considering that they were like 5, short and a little on the chubby side. Somehow I ended back in the lobby. I took a deep breath and prayed that there wasn't anyone from the contest. Sadly, my prayer wasn't heard when a group of five walked into the hotel. I did a quick sweep of the place before deciding to sit next to some brunette girl that's reading the newspaper. I put my arm around her and pretended to read on with her. The group of girls walked past and I leaned back, sighing in relief.

"People these days…" I heard the girl mutter, "unbelievable!" She rolled her eyes and resumed reading.

I took a good look at the girl and she was pretty. She had long dark hair over her shoulders and jean shorts on with black and white tatty Converses. When I saw the shirt she was wearing, I almost pissed in my pants. Oh crap! She's with them? "Y-you're apart of…" I trailed off and pointed to her shirt.

"What?" then she looked down. "Oh! No… heavens no… my aunt forced me to do this with my cousin as a 'thank you' for-" she paused, "something. Anyways, my cousin and friend are both huge fans." She took a breath. "Nice shirt…" the girl later said. Internally I groaned. The label made us wear these shirts that say: You Found Me! It's totally lame. Way to make us obvious..."I love that song. The Frays are like one of my favorite bands ever."

I looked at her confused. _Does she __**not**__ know who I am? _I thought. _Wait- that should be a good thing, right? But still! I'm Shane freaking Gray! She __**has**__ to know me. How does she not know me?_ I nodded. "Yeah, me too…"

The mysterious girl smiled at me and went back to reading. I sighed and started to scope out the place. I was almost sure I was safe until the group from upstairs sauntered into the lobby. Damn… I have to get out of here. But how am I gonna do that without getting caught? Unless...

"Hey, umm… I know we just met, but uh…. Do you want to get out of here?" I asked the brunette.

The girl lowered her paper down and looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "Excuse me?" she questioned, crossing her arms.

"It's not what you think…" I said quickly. "I uh just thought that you'd like to get some lunch or something with me."

"Lunch?" she questioned, "with you?" I nodded nervously. "Gee… I don't know. I mean, I'm supposed to be with my cousin."

"You sure?" I asked her watching the group like a hawk as they walked towards the front desk.

The brunette looked up at me thinking. "You know what; those two are together, so I guess it's okay if I leave. Yeah… let me just text them." The girl stood up and whipped out her cell phone and started texting. I placed a hand on her lower back and guided her out of the lobby with my head slightly tilted towards the floor. "Oh! I'm Mitchie by the way."

I smiled to myself. Mitchie… what an interesting name. You don't really get that as a girl's name that often. "I'm Sh-" I stopped. No… don't give your real name. For all I know, she could turn me in, "Joe… I'm Joe."

Mitchie looked at me funny before she slipped on her sunglasses as I did the same. "Joe… Are you sure?"

"Yeah… why?"

She shrugged as I held the door and we walked out into the humid streets. "I don't know… you seemed unsure."

I glanced sideways at her before stopping in front of a vendor selling 'New York' caps, tops, and sunglasses. I grabbed a cap and sunglasses and gave the guy money, telling him to keep the change. I laughed as we started walking down the street. "I'm sure…"

"Joe…" she muttered to herself, "I like it." Ha, ha… me too. "So where you taking me Joe?" she asked with a teasing smile.

I haven't thought about that. Where are we going to go? Somewhere private, but not too private. And definitely not a place that is really public where girls would just throw themselves at me. A public private place… Ha! What an oxymoron.

"Uh… I honestly don't know," I said embarrassed. How can you invite a girl out and not know where to take them. Then again, I don't really go out and about in NYC. And if I do, I'm with people I know who know this city like the back of their hand.

Mitchie laughed and hit my arm playfully. "Well… I'm in the mood for some ice cream if that helps?"

I looked up at the tall buildings around us. "I...don't really know any ice cream places around here." Sadly…

Again Mitchie laughed. Well… isn't this embarrassing. "First time in New York?" she asked as we strolled down the street.

"Well...I've been to New York a few times… but I never leave the hotel," I said.

"And that's gonna change now." Mitchie smiled big and led me to a subway. I stopped at the top as she started going down. When she realized I wasn't with her, she stopped and looked back. "Well... aren't you coming Joe?" I looked around nervously. "Oh I get it…" she said climbing up the steps until she was face-to-face with me."You're a taxi kind of guy, aren't you?" My lips formed into a tight line and I nodded. Mitchie scoffed amused. "If it makes you feel any better, then we can just hail a cab-"

"No…" I interrupted. "I mean… we're already standing here. There's a first time for everything, right?"

Mitchie smiled and reached out her hand. Slowly I took it and together we walked into the dim subway.


	2. Chapter 2

I have to admit. Joe on the subway was pretty entertaining. I had some money on me and got us a metro card, which he found fascinating. While we waited, Joe didn't let go of my hand the entire time. Which, of course I didn't mind. I mean come on… a hot guy is holding your hand because he's pretty much scared you'll ditch him. Not many guys are like that. Joe kept looking around like we're being watch, but seriously… this is New York; no one really cares. You can be doing back-flips in the subway and they'll glance –maybe actually stay and watch- but nothing else.

We boarded the subway and thankfully it wasn't overly crowded. We took two seats in the corner and waited as the subway began to move. He held onto my hand for dear life. What is he? Five?

"So you're in New York for that scavenger hunt thing?" Joe asked.

I looked away from the map and to Joe. I sighed heavily. "Unfortunately… what about you? What are you here for?"

Joe opened his mouth but someone interrupted him. "Is that Lil Mitch I see?" I turned around to see my old pals, Junior and Dani. They were with another kid, Turner. I didn't really know him, but he would hang with us and a few other people once in a blue moon.

"Junior! Dani!" I got up and went over to them, giving them a nice hug. Wow it's been a long time. "What are you doing over here?" They usually hung out in Downtown Manhattan or in Harlem. Hardly would you see them near SoHo.

"I think we should be asking you that! Girl, we haven't heard from you in like two years!" Dani said. Dani's a lot taller with green eyes and traded her blonde locks for black ones. She has those curves every girl would die for and is so much fun to be around. But she's a total pothead.

Junior always has a beanie on his head covering his Spanish curls and looks like he's up to no good. Like Dani, a total pothead and extremely fun, Junior's more mysterious and intimidating; especially with his eyebrow piercing.

I laughed. "Yeah I know… I know. The old lady took my phone, my laptop, my iTouch! She even deleted my Facebook _and _Twitter; I don't know how I'm surviving." We laughed together.

Junior ran a hand down the side of my face, like he was examining it. "You look good kid…" he concluded. "What brings you back to the city? From what I hear, your parents moved to Uptown…but you're in Upstate."

I sighed and looked back at Joe who was watching me with the old crew with curiosity. "My cousin dragged me to this contest thingy."

"Who's that cutie over there?" Dani asked suddenly, looking at Joe. I looked back at him and gave a small wave, which he happily returned. "Is that your beau? He looks oddly familiar."

"That's Joe, and he's not my boyfriend."

"Does he-"

"Nah… well, I don't think so. I mean look at him." We all took a quick glance, and thankfully Joe was looking at the map. "He looks like such a goody-two-shoes."

"So not your type…"

We laughed and the metro guy announced the stop the subway had halted at. "You wanna hang M? We can catch up," Junior said.

I shook my head. "Maybe another time guys… I can't just ditch the guy." They gave me a hug goodbye for getting off. I turned around and headed back to Joe just as the doors closed and we started moving again.

"Friends of yours?" Joe asked, but not with an attitude like my Aunt has every time she comes in contact with them.

"Eh… more like people I used to hang out with."

Joe nodded. "How long 'til we get to… wherever?"

I looked over to the map. "Not long… like two more stops."

:) :) :)

"Alright… see you're okay," I teased as soon as we exited the subway and back to the streets of New York.

Joe rolled his eyes. "I guess it wasn't that bad." I giggled and led the way. "Where are we?" he later asked.

"Chinatown…" I said like it was obvious. Actually it kind of was. The signs all around were both in Chinese and English.

"And you led me here because?"

I giggled as we crossed the street. "**Because**… there's this ice cream place that has like THE BEST ice cream in New York." Why else would I bring him here?

Joe's mouth formed in an 'Oh'. We walked in silence 'til we were in front of the shop. I let Joe enter before me. We stood in line until it was our turn to get some ice cream. "

"Can I have a small Green Tea ice cream please?" I ordered. The lady nodded and started to get my order. I turned to Joe. "What do you want?"

He shrugged, staring at the flavors. "I don't know… vanilla?" I shook my head.

Turning back to the lady and decided to choose one for him. "And can I get a Red Bean too?" The lady nodded and started to scoop some for him. After paying for our treats, Joe and I walked to the closest park nearby, Columbus Park.

We sat on a bench and we -well I- started to eat the ice cream. "You better eat it before it melts," I told Joe. He eyed the ice cream, carefully picking up the spoon. I laughed. "It's good… trust me."

I watched as Joe took a bite and looked surprised. "Oh wow… that is good!" I laughed and continued to eat the ice cream. "So Mitchie… you live around here?" he asked, trying to break the silence.

I bite my lip. "Uh… I used to. Until something happened and now I'm staying at my Aunts house for a little while."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Joe nodding understandingly. "If you don't mind me asking, what happened?"

I shrugged nonchalantly, finishing the rest of the green tea. "I-I'd rather not talk about it." Why would I tell a total stranger my tale? My own parents hardly even know what went on.

"Sorry I asked…"

I shook my head. "It's okay… so umm Joe. What are you doing in the Big Apple?" I asked directing the conversation over to him.

"Well, I-" he stopped when his phone started ringing. "I'm sorry… I have to take this." I watched as Joe get up and set a few paces between us before answering his phone.

* * *

"What do you want Nate?" I answered. I watched as Mitchie swung her legs back and forth on the bench before getting up and throwing her cup away.

"Brad's looking for you… where are you man?" Nate responded.

I took a deep breath and sighed. I'm not supposed to leave the Scavenger Hunt grounds. Apparently that would be cheating. But it's not my fault that this girl dragged me all the way out to Chinatown. "Uh…" I cleared my throat. "I'm around."

"Well you better go see Brad in his room. Nobody's seen you in a while. And Big Rob's supposed to be watching you. We don't want a repeat of yesterday."

I rolled my eyes and groaned. Must they remind me? "For the last time, it was an accident."

I can picture Nate rolling his eyes. "Whatever… just get back here in 10 minutes."

Sighing I hung up the phone and made my way back to Mitchie. I held my hand out for her -which she graciously took- and we walked together out of the park. "I have to get back… apparently I'm not supposed to leave the hotel and my brothers are covering for me."

She smiled knowingly. "Ah… been there, done that…"

"Been there, done that?" I asked. Who is this girl?

But Mitchie gave me a small smile as we walked to the closest subway and took that all the way back to where we first went on. And this time, I wasn't so clingy to Mitchie. I mean, I still held her hand, but that's because its soft and not clammy and sweaty like mine is.

"What are those girls staring at?" Mitchie asked, drawing my attention from an advertisement. Sitting a good six feet away were these girls; two of them were Asian while the other two were some kind of white (I could be wrong). They were staring and giggling. One of them even pointed slightly at us.

Inwardly, I groaned. I knew it was only a matter of time before _someone _recognized me. "Beats me…"

Just then, the taller Asian girl came over. "Hi…" she said shyly.

"Uh hello," I greeted. Mitchie smiled at her awkwardly.

She kind of just stood there before sighing. "You're Shane Gray from Connect 3, aren't you? Well, that's what my friends are saying."

I tried not to look like I just got caught. I cleared my throat. Damn… "I'm sorry?"

The Asian girl blushed. "Oh no I'm sorry… I guess you just look like him, that's all. Sorry to bother you."

I shook my head. "It's okay… I get that a lot."

The girl smiled at us relieved before waving goodbye and practically ran back to her friends. The Asian girl smacked a skinny white girl lightly and said lowly, "I told you so! People like Shane Gray do not take the subway."

Mitchie let out a giggle and sighed. "Shane Gray… I feel like I should know that name."

Yeah, I feel like you should too. I shrugged. "All I know is that he's a part of some band."

"Must not be that great of a band, considering I've never heard of it."

Wow… what a stinger. I mean, I guess our songs could be better, but we're not terrible. "Yeah…" time to change the subject. "So how long 'til we get back?"

Mitchie pursed her lips together. "Hmm… ten –fifteen minutes, maybe?"

Sigh… great; I'm dead once my feet land inside the lobby. Oh well…I had fun today.

:) :) :)

"And the taxi boy lives!" Mitchie exclaims happily when we emerged from the subway entry and back onto the busy streets.

I rolled my eyes behind my sunglasses and shoved her playfully. "Ha, ha… you are a comedian."

"Hmm…" Mitchie started thoughtfully, "maybe I should look into that," she said with a wink.

I laughed and draped an arm around her shoulders. "Enough with the jokes…" Mitchie frowned and shrugged my arm off. "Aww… I'm sorry. Did I hurt your feelings?" Mitchie nodded and I gave her a great big hug. "There… how about that?" Mitchie nodded and hugged me just as tightly. By now we were closer to the hotel. I let go of Mitchie. "Well… I guess this is goodbye, huh?"

The brunette nodded sadly. "I guess so…"

We stood in silence before I suggested, "We could probably hang out again… you know, before this weekend's over."

That put a nice smile on her face. "Yeah…I'd like that."

"Can I get you number?" I asked and she frowned.

"Yeah… about that," she started slowly, "I actually don't have a cell phone."

Oh please she could've at least used a good lie to reject me. Then again, **no one** rejects Shane Gray!

But **she** doesn't know that…sigh. "Then what's that in your pocket?"

Mitchie reached into her back pocket and pulled out the blue touch phone. "This is my cousin's phone. My aunt confiscated mine a while ago. My cousin's not even supposed to give me her phone."

I nodded understandingly. "Well… how about you take my number and call me, whenever?"

The girl smiled. "Okay…" She took out a pen and gave it to me. I wrote my number on the palm of her hand.

"Call me…" I said with a wink before walking away. I started towards the hotel and looked back briefly to see her smiling at me. I smiled back and she waved before turning around and crossing the street. As she walked away, I waved back and entered the hotel. I looked down at the pen she had given to me and slipped it into my pocket. There's something about that girl that I just can't put my finger on. Something about her is different than the girls I've known my whole life. Mitchie's definitely a mystery. Ha! I'm probably attracted to her because she doesn't know me, the rock star. That, and she's cute; not to mention funny.

"Finally! He's here!" I rolled my eyes as I took off the sunglasses and New York cap.

"Nice to see you two lunkheads," I said and we boarded the elevator. Jason hit the button for our floor and stepped back to rest on the railing.

"Where have you been Shane?" Nate asked.

"With this girl…" I answered coolly, watching the numbers go up.

"That's all we get?" Jason asked. "Just that you were with some girl? What'd you two do?"

I chuckled as the elevator bounced to a stop on our floor and the doors opened. We walked down the hall to our room –Nate using the key. I walked in after my brothers and saw Brad with Big Rob.

"Shane Adam Joseph Gray… you're killing me. You really are killing me here!" I took a seat and sighed as Brad went off on a rant. Great… here we go again.

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**Hey! First i'd like to thank couey112 and musicluvr10 for reviewing the first chapter. You two are fantastic!**

**How'd you guys like this chapter? Was it good? Was it terrible? i know you're probably wondering what had Mitchie done and her past and everything- well, that'll be explained eventually ;] So until then... leave a review?**


	3. Chapter 3

I caught up with Caitlyn and my cousin at the closest Starbucks, where they were taking a picture with a life-sized cardboard cutout of the band that's hosting the contest: Connect 3. The band members each had their name above or below themselves. I took a good look at the cutout and could've sworn that Joe looks just like Shane Gray. Funny, huh? Imagine… Joe _is _Shane? But there's a slight difference between the two. For one, Joe isn't short, compared to this Shane guy. Plus, Shane's hair is black and straight, yet Joe's is like a dark brown and curly. Oh! And let's not forget the way they're dressed. Shane's all flamboyant with his tight white pants, while Joe's more low-key.

"So… what have you guys got up to?" I asked as we got onto the Starbucks line. Against my better judgement, I agreed to let Emma get an iced-latte. I don't really care what the girl does. I'm just here to make sure that she doesn't get herself killed.

"Well out of a hundred questions, not that many," Caitlyn said as the line moved. "What about you?"

"Oh… well, after wandering for a while, I went and got ice cream."

"Sound yummy! Mitchie, I'm hungry. Can we get lunch instead?" Emma asked.

"Yeah sure… Let's go." Instead of moving along with the line we got off and walked back out into the blazing heat to the closest restaurant. I got us a table while Caitlyn and Emma went to use the bathroom. The waitress came by and I ordered our drinks before walking away. I got so bored that I decided to text Joe.

_Hey :) my cousin didn't ask for her phone back, so you're in luck_

It didn't take long before he replied back.

_**Lucky me :) what are you up to?**_

_At some restaurant. They got hungry, so here I am. You?_

_**Cool. Stuck inside the hotel :/ got in trouble for leaving**_

_Aww… I'm sorry_

_**Nah its cool… it was so worth it**_

I laughed and sent an "LOL". I spotted my cousin and Caitlyn coming back just as Joe sent me a smiley face.

_Uh oh… they're back o.O TTYL?_

_**Later :)**_

I placed the phone back into my pocket just as the girls sat down. They chatted animatedly about what they were going to do next after we're done eating. They were talking about what rockstar they should finish first; something about Jason being the easiest to figure out. Inwardly I rolled my eyes. What I would do to hang out with Joe right about now.

* * *

"Shane…" my eyes darted to the face standing before me. He was clearly annoyed that instead of taking him seriously, I'm texting. "Are you even listening to me?"

I rolled my eyes as I placed my phone on the table. "Yes, yes, yes… I wasn't supposed to leave the Scavenger Hunt Grounds. Tomorrow night is a concert at Madison Square Garden. Then Sunday, we announce the winner of the Scavenger Hunt and blah, blah, blah -I know, I know…"

Brad sighed. "Good… now Big Rob is going to hang with you for the rest of the day." I groaned, "JUST to make sure you're not going to…run off again. Where ever you go, he goes too."

Great… I have a babysitter. I'm Shane Freaking Gray and I have a babysitter! Why do _I _need a babysitter? I'm not five.

Brad exited the room and in came Big Rob. I sighed and walked over to the window and looked down. I hated being imprisoned in the hotel. There's nothing to do!

"Hey Rob… how high do you think we are?" I asked rhetorically. But of course I didn't expect him to reply. He hardly ever says a word. I turned around to see the body guard doing exactly what I thought he would be doing: nothing. I sighed and trudged to my bed and grabbed the remote. There has to be _something _good on. But I didn't find anything worth watching. I mean, there were a few good movies that caught my eye. Ugh… being on punishment is _so _boring!

The door opened and shut with a click. Hey… at least now, I'm alone.

But I'm still bored! Great...

Suddenly my phone chirped alive as I received a text message. I pretty much dived for the phone that sat on the table.

_Kill me now! What I would do to get out of this stupid game…_

I laughed and texted back as fast as I could possibly. _**Tell me about it -_- I would give anything to get out of this hotel room! :(**_

I watched as the green bubble popped up onto the screen. It was maybe 30 seconds until she texted me back (not that I was counting).

_LOL! How rebellious are you Mr. Joe?_

Hmm… I'm not exactly sure. The most rebellious thing I've probably done was walk off a video shoot. The director of that one video thought it'd be a great idea to have us dressed like aliens snowboarding, when the song is titled _Paranoid. _Honestly, do you think that song has anything to do with aliens snowboarding? Absolutely not!

Even leaving the hotel today cannot count as rebellious. I just ventured out of the hotel with this nice girl in order to escape being murdered by screaming fans.

_**What do you have in mind Ms. Mitchie?**_

She didn't really say much except for sending me this: _;]_

The door opened and Rob stepped inside. "Mr. Shane… Mr. Chase has required that you get ready for your meeting in an hour."

I sighed and got up. "Alright… I'll get cleaned up."

* * *

We slumped onto a bench, right in the nice shade provided by trees. I twisted the cap off of my water bottle and took a nice long sip before letting out a content sigh.

"How many more left?" I complained.

"Well," Caitlyn started, looking through the list, "We found pretty much everything that has to do with Jason. Nate just has three more questions left, and Shane has a bit more but–just like the rest of them- we just need their signatures."

"That's gonna take forever!" Emma said and leaned on me.

"Cait, what time is it?" I asked.

She looked at her phone and said, "Almost two… why?"

"You guys wanna cool off back at the hotel? It is getting too hot out here," I said.

"Yeah…"

"B-b-b-but we're not done yet!" Emma exclaimed. "I wanna win _so _badly… you don't even know! They're like my favorite band in the _entire world _and if I don't win this contest… then, then… I might as well die!"

That doesn't sound too bad. Ugh, she's such a drama queen. I rolled my eyes and stood up. "Oh hush… we're gonna cool off-"

"-But-"

"-_and then _in an hour, we can go back out. Deal?"

Emma sighed. "Alright… but just an hour, right? The contest closes for the day by four."

"Yes…" I said annoyed. We left the bench and crossed the street. Ten minutes later, the hotel came into view and I could tell they were just as relieved as I was. But there was this whole commotion outside. As we ventured closer, we got a glimpse of the action. Of course… this whole hullabaloo is because of that band, Connect 3, was leaving. Girls of all ages were screaming their heads off as they thrust forward to get to the three guys, but were being held back by the Po-po.

"Look Mitch! That's Connect 3! They are _so _hot!" Emma squealed before letting out a dreamy sigh.

I rolled my eyes as we watched the guys wobble to the black SUV, casually greeting a fan and having them squeal like pigs being forced into a cage. The whole crowd was blocking the entrance to the hotel. It'll be a war, trying to get through that crowd.

"C'mon," I muttered to Emma and Caitlyn and grabbed Emma's hand, trying to make way to the hotel's entrance without losing them. Imagine how much trouble I would be in if something happened to that girl.

I tried my best to shove through the crowd, quietly saying 'excuse me' but the crowd was a constant push and propel. I finally managed to find some space and rushed through, my hand slipping from Emma. Suddenly I tripped and slammed into a hard body, making me drop to the ground. The crowd gasped and all was still for a minute.

Great…

I pushed myself up and dusted my body free of sediment and whatnot.

"Mitchie?"

I froze and looked up to the person who pretty much left me on the ground. His big sunglasses prevented me from seeing his face but he was dressed all fancy.

"Are you okay?"

I clenched my jaw and tried my hardest _not _to tackle him. That jerk! "Okay?" I shoved him, "I am _not _okay… I am far from," Shove, "okay. You," poke, "are so lucky that I," poke, "am not seriously injured here," poke, "or I would've sued your ass."

"Look, kid I'm sorry-"

"That's right you better be- whoa!" I was suddenly picked up by this big burly man and carried away from the guy. The bodyguard –I presume- dropped me on my feet and a policeman came over.

"Miss, I'm gonna have to take you downtown," he said.

"What for! I didn't do anything… _he _was the one who caused this whole ruckus," I said as the policeman dragged me to his car.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah… get in."

I sighed and looked back to see Emma and Caitlyn standing there. "Don't worry Mitch… I'll get Connie and it'll all straightened out," she called out to me. "It's just a misunderstanding."

I nodded before getting into the car and we drove away. Great… of course this is just my luck. The one day that started out fine, ended up like crap. It didn't take as long as I thought it would before we got there. And of course the first person that I come in contact with was my PO. It was almost as if he was waiting at the precinct.

"Mitchie Jeannine Torres… I thought you were clean," My PO, Randy said. He was a big burley dude –think the Rock type of person. That what I call him sometimes because I swear Randy and the Dwayne Johnson could be brothers. Practically twins!

"I am clean Ran," I said and plopped into the seat he offered me a stick of gum before sitting in the chair across from me.

"Then what are you doing here?"

"I don't know! Isn't that like against my rights? I have the right to know what I'm being accused of and the right to remain silent and blah, blah, blah."

Randy rolled his eyes and the policeman who brought me in passed by saying, "She got picked up for assaulting a celebrity."

"Assault?" I shouted after him in disbelief.

"Mitchie…" Randy said calmly.

I sighed. "Okay… so I poked some band member and shoved him. Since when is poking and a shove assault?"

Randy sighed and some lady gave him a piece of paper. "Well, you're lucky he's not pressing charges."

I leaned back in my chair. "Whatever… can I go now?"

"Not yet… one your aunt has to get you and two… Mitchie, that day's coming up."

I sighed annoyed. "I know, I know," I looked down at my left wrist. My right thumb glided across the perfect cursive. "So?"

"You wanna talk about it?" he pressed, which is stupid because I'll never talk about it. Randy always asks, but I'll never tell.

"Honestly Randy how many times have you asked me, and how many times have I answered you?"

"Too many and never."

"And it's gonna stay that way." I got out of my seat just as he did.

Suddenly Aunt Connie comes bustling through and takes one good look at me. "We'll talk," she says in that oh-so-serious tone. I gave her my "whatever" look and walked towards Emma and Caitlyn who were right behind Connie. "You kids get inside the car. I have to have chat to Mr. Randy."

I shrugged my shoulders and the three of us slowly walked away. But before we got out of reach I heard Randy say, "She's a good kid… I just want to help her. But, she's not letting me in."

"I know Randy… she doesn't let me in either."

* * *

**Hey! :) so it's been a while since i last updated, but life got busier. BUT! don't worry i'll try to keep up with the updates.**

**So what you guys think about this chapter? i kinda just winged it... so ;]**

**thank you those who reviewed the last chapter it meant so much :D**

**Please review?**


	4. Chapter 4

Emma hop-scotched down the steps and sat on the last one, looking out to the cars passing by. Caitlyn and I followed her slowly, too hot to want to do anything. Caitlyn looked over to me and asked, "So what'd they bring you in for?"

I sighed and kicked a very tiny pebble, watching it tumble down a few steps. "Apparently shoving and poking a celebrity is assault," I said and scoffed.

"It _is _assault Mitchie… you could've hurt Shane Gray! And _then… _what's gonna happen to his concert? What's gonna happen to the Scavenger Hunt?" Emma said.

I rolled my eyes and sat on the steps above her. "Whatever…" We sat in silence for about five minutes before my Aunt walked out of the precinct. She didn't say anything (yet), just went straight to the car and opened the backseat door. We rose leisurely and followed in a straight line to the car. Emma climbed in first, sitting in the back row and Caitlyn and I sitting in the middle. The door shut and my Aunt walked around to get in and drive away.

We stopped at a traffic light when my Aunt decided to speak. "Emma, sweetie, why didn't you call me that Mitchie was heading to the precinct?" she asked. I saw her briefly look into the rear-view mirror before driving off when it was green. Since my Aunt couldn't see me that well I turned around in my seat to Emma and gave her my 'don't-you-dare' look.

"My phone died mom… sorry," Emma lied. "So I made Caitlyn make the call."

"Aww sweetie, I thought I told you to make sure it was charged –just _in case_ something happened."

"I know mommy… I'm really sorry." Boy that cousin of mine should consider a career in acting. That was a Grammy-winning performance!

They fell into a conversation about the Scavenger Hunt, Caitlyn throwing her word in once in a while. I was too busy looking for a pen and paper to write Joe's number down. When I finally found one, I quickly wrote his number down and shoved the scrap of paper into my pocket. As I was deleting our messages, I felt a pair of eyes on me and looked to see Caitlyn giving me a look.

'I'll tell you later,' I mouthed to her just as we arrived at the hotel.

Caitlyn and Emma got out first and just when I got out, my Aunt stopped me. "You're on thin ice Mitchie," she said lowly, "One more time something like this happens, I have no choice but to send you to Uncle Jon's in Arizona." I sighed. Uncle Jon… how does one describe Uncle Jon. Well, Uncle Jon runs a military school and has a gorgeous, petite wife and three children –Ekon, Kyra, and Lunn. And if you look up what their names mean, you could probably figure out what kind of person Uncle Jon is. It's annoying when they visit or we have to visit them because they're all like little robots. Like the last time we visited Uncle Jon, I was nine, right? And the first thing that happened when we arrived, we had to salute him. That week we spent with him was probably the worst week ever. We had to wake up at 0400 hours and everyone had to be showered and dressed by 0515. I remember what was dignified as fun was reading books and playing military games. Only at seven o'clock could we watch TV and it was for an hour before time to go to sleep. Anyways, the point is: I DO NOT want to go to Uncle Jon's. Going to Uncle Jon's is like –actually it IS- being enrolled in military school.

"Now I love you kiddo, I really do… and I'm here for you… but you seriously need to get your act together, understood?"

I nodded. "Yeah…" We followed my aunt to the front desk where she went to check us in. While she did that, the three of us went to get something sweet from the candy girl.

"Did you know?" she said bursting with excitement, "Shane Gray is staying at this _very _hotel! And! I bumped into him." She sighed dreamily, "one day, we're gonna get married and have two children –Shane Junior and Athena Gray."

I rolled my eyes as I paid for our treats. This girl is delusional. Caitlyn must have thought so too since she gave the girl a weirded-out look. Emma just went on how Nate's gonna see her in the contest and declare his love for her. Pshh-ya! OKAYYY.

"Girls!" Aunt Connie called and we walked away to where she was with the bellhop. "Caitlyn, here's the key to your room. Emma and I are staying right across from you… a room down."

Caitlyn took the key and stuffed it in her pocket. "Well where's my key?" I asked.

"Mitchie…" My aunt warned.

"But that's not fair," I said trying not to make a scene. We boarded the elevator and watched it close. Then we headed up for the twenty-third floor.

"Oh Mitchie grow up. You only have you to blame. Wherever Caitlyn goes, you go. Wherever you go, Caitlyn goes too. End of discussion," she said, "You only got one key… don't lose it."

I rolled my eyes and the rest of the ride was quiet. We got to our hotel room, and the bellhop placed mine and Caitlyn's bags inside before assisting my aunt. I sighed and went to the bathroom to put on the counter my toiletries. I turned around to exit and almost jumped out of my skin when Caitlyn stood there, leaning in the doorway.

"Hi," she said.

"Umm… hi?" I said and walked around her into our room. I dragged my suitcase over to my bed by the window and sat on the floor with it. I unzipped my suitcase and tried to find something to wear. I have to take a shower. I feel gross.

"So who was that you were texting on Emma's phone?" she asked.

"What?" I said looking up at her.

"On Emma's phone… you were deleting messages… who were they from?" Cait asked again.

"Oh!" I said and picked up my favorite black laced camisole. "Some kid Joe I met at the hotel. We went out for ice cream and came back."

"So that's where you ended up going?"

"Yup…" I said and grabbed a pair of gray plaid shorts. I also took whatever else I needed before venturing off to the bathroom.

"Mitchie wait!" Caitlyn called before I shut the door for my shower. I peeped out of the crack at her as she said, "we're going to the pool, by the way… Emma wanted to, so..."

I sighed heavily and headed back to my suitcase. Oh Emma…

* * *

I was so exhausted and so hungry. I took a quick shower and when I got out, I told the guys I was going to the hotel's restaurant for dinner. Like a good bandmate and brother, I asked them if they'd like to join me, but they declined. Nate was going to head out with one Tess Tyler. Honestly, I don't know why he's hanging out with that blonde witch. Oh that's right… for publicity means. Tess got a small part in some big movie and being seen with Nate is going to amp up her rep apparently. And lovely Jason is going to some movie premier with this girl Danielle that he just met about a week or so ago. They're really good friends and are going to meet up with Selena and Justin.

So that makes me flying solo.

I grabbed my room key and uttered a "later" as I headed out. I walked smoothly as I headed towards the elevators and waited patiently for one to come. I took out my phone and glanced at the time. It was almost nine.

The elevators opened with a ding and I climbed on with a family of four –mother, father, and their two sons. Their sons recognized me instantly and were pretty cool. Though, their mom was chastising them for asking too many questions. But I didn't mind. They seemed like some cool beans.

We got off on the ground floor and the boys asked me to sign something. Quickly I did before they exited the hotel and I proceeded to the hotel's restaurant. The hostess freaked when she saw me and rambled about the different tables I could sit at. A little freaked out myself, I asked for a private table in the non-smoking section.

"Booth or table?" she asked with a permanent grin on her face.

"Uh… booth," I said. The hostess happily grabbed a menu and led me to my table.

I couldn't help but notice the little stage they had on the far side of the room. It was really far from where I sat. I sat in the far left corner of the room, where no one would see me, unless they decided to walk around the entire room. Anyways, there was this banner above the stage in big capital letters,

OPEN MIC NIGHT!

Well isn't that just dandy? I sighed and took a seat.

"Shane Gray… I-I think it'd be a _great _honor if you signed up for Open Mic Night. The crowd would be honored!" the hostess said.

I bit my tongue from saying something I could possibly regret. "Uh thanks… but I think I'm a pass up on that offer. It's been a long day, and I'm kinda tired?" I lied. Well it wasn't that much of a lie. I was tired, I just didn't want to do it.

"Oh… well, the sign-up sheet is over there, if you change your mind," she said and handed me the menu before walking off. I tried not to roll my eyes as she walked off and looked at the menu. The waiter came by and got my order for a drink before walking away. I sighed and the lights dimmed slightly. Not so much where you couldn't see the menu anymore, but you could tell the lighting changed.

"Welcome, everybody to our Open Mic Night!" It was the candy counter girl from this afternoon. She was hosting the event. She flipped her messy blonde curl over her shoulder and straightened her purple top. She was dressed nicely, clearly in bargained clothing. But, it works for her I guess.

"Anyone who would like to sign-up, there's a clipboard right here. Don't be shy! You could have the worst voice in the room, but it doesn't matter because we're all here to have fun right?" A low applause sounded. "Alright! Before we get this show started, I'd like to thank…" My does she have such a perky voice and attitude. I sighed as she began to list people and continued to look through the menu. But suddenly I stopped and my head looked up when I heard,

"First up! We have Miss…Mitchie Torres! Come on down Mitchie!"

"What!" came from the booth to my right. I looked over and almost pissed in my pants when I saw that Mitchie and her family was sitting right there.

"Go Mitchie," her family encouraged.

"No!" Mitchie protested. "I'm _not _going up there. I repeat _not!_"

"Come on Mitchie," this girl with light brown hair said.

"No!" she persisted. "I don't sing anymore…"

Now I know it's wrong to eavesdrop, but I couldn't help it. She sings? Err, sang?

"Mitchie, please go," her aunt –from what I can recall she's staying with- said. "Do it for Mallory."

Mitchie stood her ground, but you can tell the walls were crumbling down. She then sighed and got up, heading for the stage. A few gave an applause –including me- as she got up on that stage and sat at the piano.

The candy counter girl wasn't so keen with keeping the mic away from her mouth or lowering her voice when she said, "What song would you like to sing?" Mitchie's mouth moved, but you didn't hear what she said. The candy counter girl reintroduced Mitchie before placing the microphone on the stand and heading off stage.

"Umm…this is a song I wrote… a long time ago," she sighed and looked at the piano before looking out to the audience. "It's called uh _It's Not Too Late._" Mitchie repositioned her hands before looking up to the ceiling. Then she began to play.

"Hmm…

Here I am

Feels like the walls are closin' in

Once again

It's time to face it and be strong

I wanna do the right thing now

I know it's up to me somehow

I've lost my way

If I could take all back I would now

I never meant to let you all down

And now I've got to try

To turn it all around

And figure out how to fix this

I know there's a way

So I promise

I'm gonna clean up the mess I made

Maybe it's not too late

Maybe it's not too late, oh

So I'll take a stand

Even though it's complicated

If I can

I wanna change the way I've made it

I've gotta do the right thing

Now I know it's up to me somehow

I'll find my way

If I could take all back I would now

I never meant to let you all down

And now I've got to try

To turn it all around

And figure out how to fix this

I know there's a way

So I promise

I'm gonna clean up the mess I made

Maybe it's not too late

I'm gonna find the strength

To be the one

That holds it all together

Show you that I'm sorry

But I know we can make it better

If I could take all back I would now

I never meant to let you all down

And now I've got to try

To turn it all around

And figure out how to fix this

I know there's a way

So I promise

I'm gonna clean up the mess I made (mess I made)

Maybe it's not too late

I never meant to let you all down

And now I've got to try (got to try)

To turn it all around (all around)

And figure out how to fix this

I know there's a way

So I promise (I promise)

I'm gonna clean up the mess I made

Maybe it's not too late

Maybe it's not too late

Whoo-oo

Yeah."

* * *

**hey hey! Boy am I such a horrid person! Sorry for lack of updating... life continues to go on with more and more drama -_- not cool. And the drama is just stupid and -i'm a stop there because it has nothing to do with this story! o.o**

**Thank you guys for reviewing my story... seriously, you guys deserve some serious cookies :D**

**Leave a Review?**

**P.s. who loves that song? I know I do! And Skyscraper! Heard it the other day and it was really interesting to listen to :)**


	5. Chapter 5

_That was for you Mal…_

I let out a sigh and opened my eyes. The room seemed so still for a long minute while the last note died down. I felt like the song was horrible. That's how long the silence remained. The audience disapproves. I knew I shouldn't have come up here. It was a big mistake. I haven't played music or sang for a long time. It was something _Mallory_ and I did. She'd play the piano or the guitar and I would usually sing. Sometimes I'd play with her on the piano or guitar (majority of the time, it was the instrument she's not using. Every now and then we'd both use our guitars) and we would harmonize. But according to Mal, I was the better singer; the better musician. However, Mallory was the better dancer and the better athlete. She was smarter too. You know, she once said to me "Kid… you're gonna make it big out there. And I'll be your manager". We'd joke about that for hours.

But before I could go on in my head -a mini rant about how stupid I was to get up on stage- the room erupted in applause. You could clearly hear my aunt shouting "you go girl!" I smiled shyly and stepped off the stage, giving the microphone to the host before disappearing out of sight.

"Mitchie Torres everyone!" she said as I walked away. I headed back to my table when I felt someone grab my arm and pull me out of the room.

"Hey! What's the big deal?" I said until the person turned around to face me. It was Joe. He dressed as casually as he was earlier with his white, v-neck tee and dark wash jeans. Joe had matching Dockers and wore black framed glasses. "Oh… hey Joe."

"Hey Mitchie… you were phenomenal," he gushed.

I smiled uneasily and tucked a stray hair behind my ear. "Thanks…" I chuckled nervously, "Uh…y-you saw that?"

"Yeah…" Joe smiled like a goof ball. He has such a nice smile. "Mitchie, you have an amazing voice."

I blushed harshly and averted my eyes. "Uh umm thank you."

"Mitchie!" Emma's voice called distantly. I turned around to see Emma and Caitlyn making their way to me.

"Well uh I gotta go," I said awkwardly.

"Oh yeah… yeah, me too," Joe said. We hugged each other awkwardly before Joe walked away. I turned around to meet my cousin halfway and almost jumped out of my skin when they were right behind me.

"Who was that Mitchie?" Emma asked, pointing at Joe as he walked away.

"That was Joe," I said with a small smile. "I bumped into him earlier when we checked in," I lied.

"Oh…from the side, he looked familiar," she said quietly, with a finger on her chin. Then she shook her head, "he's pretty cute," she said before skipping away to our table. Yeah Emma… he really is.

* * *

I walked down the hall and hid behind a plant. I watched as Mitchie and these two girls chatted very briefly before walking back inside the restaurant. Then I slipped out from the plant and walked inside, making sure I didn't passed by Mitchie's table. At my table, my steaming plate of spaghetti and meatballs sat, ready for me to eat. I took a seat and slid in my booth, closer to where Mitchie sat with the light haired brunette. My back was to Mitchie and the lighter haired girl so I was facing the wall. They were talking about her performance. It doesn't hurt to listen, right?

"Mitchie," her aunt said, "Mallory would've been _so _proud of you." I could picture her blushing, "You've come _a long _way. And for you to get up on that stage, and sing your heart out- that is not easy."

There was a short pause before Mitchie quietly said, "Yeah…" then her voice became cold, "but don't you _ever _do something like that again. Don't just sign me up for something. I _don't _play music anymore."

The other three females sighed and continued on with their dinner. Maybe after five minutes did –I'm guessing- Mitchie's cousin said, "Mom! Mitchie was talking to this guy."

"Mitchie!" her aunt scolded.

I legit dropped my huge meatball as her aunt began to question Mitchie about the guy –err… me; and the meatball rolled onto the floor. I didn't have much time to react when this waitress came walking by with a tray of food and slipped on the meatball. The food on the tray goes _flying _backwards onto Mitchie and her family. The waitress -that had slipped- stood there apologizing to Mitchie's family. She was apologizing whole-heartedly that she got in the way of a busboy with a bucket full of leftovers.

And the leftovers go _hurling _to another table, covering a nice young couple and a few surrounding diners.

I shrunk in my seat, and melted 'til I was underneath of the table. Just my luck, right? Sighing, I sat there on the restaurant floor until I could figure out my next move: my escape.

I had no idea what to do.

But then the opportunity to escape presented itself, when the manager and a few other people were crowded around Mitchie's table. So I quickly crawled out from under the table and walked casually to the closest exit. I passed the hostess –who looked at me half dreamily, and half confused- and said, "Put it on the room" before disappearing out of sight.

I mentally smacked myself for the commotion that _one _meatball caused. _My _meatball. I sighed as I approached the elevators and hit the button going up. I guess I'll just order room service and catch something on pay per view.

The closest elevator dinged open and I stepped inside. I hit my floor button and suddenly someone shouted, "wait!" just as the doors were shutting. I reacted quickly and held the door for the person; turned out that the person was Brad.

"Hey Shane," he said as the doors slowly shut.

"Hey Brad," I said, watching the numbers go up. From the corner of my eye, I caught Brad staring at me. "What?"

"Where's Big Rob? I told you, you are not to go anywhere without him."

I rolled my eyes discreetly and said, "I went to have dinner, okay?"

"Shane-"

"Relax Brad…I haven't gone anywhere _out _of the hotel since we got back. Just from the room, to the restaurant and now going back…"

He looked at my skeptically, but let whatever thoughts that were swirling in his head to be set aside. "Alright… you okay though? You seem a bit stressed."

I drew in a breath and contemplated on whether or not I should tell Brad or not. I wouldn't normally tell Brad _anything, _but seeing as my two other buddies are out having lives, I thought, _what's the worst that could happen?_

"Okay…well, see, there's this girl-"

"Oh?" He seemed to hold very little interest.

"Yeah… and well umm I kinda, maybe, accidentally… got food spilt all over her and her family. Boy, were they livid."

"Oh…" and that's not an 'uh-oh' kind of oh. That was more of a displeased oh.

"Yeah… and I feel terrible, but I don't know what to do, since well- she doesn't know it was me that caused the incident."

"Hmm…" Brad had his thinking face on. "Maybe you can send her and her family a little something –as an apology of course."

"Yeah, but what?"

Brad dug into his pocket and took out some tickets and stage passes. "Well if they're fans of Connect 3, I'm sure they could enjoy some front row tickets and backstage passes." He handed them to me.

"Really?"

"Yeah… and if, on the off chance that they're not, we'll send them a complementary fruit basket."

Well I'll be darned… Brad actually has a good side to him. Shocker! Ladies and Gentlemen! Pull out those cameras… this is a picture-worthy moment! "Thanks Brad…" I said as we stepped off onto our floor.

"Anytime Shane…"

* * *

You know, one of the biggest life lessons I've learned was that with every good moment in my life, there was always a downside to it. That happiness doesn't last for too long. It's as if some higher being was punishing me for being happy. For example, when I was six, I mastered riding a bike without training wheels. Downside? At the bottom of the hill, I skidded on some pebbles and broke my arm. When I was eleven, I auditioned for the role of Cinderella at a local theatre and got the part. Downside? I got the flu, the day before my performance. Thirteen, I got my first boyfriend. The day after he kissed me, I caught him making out with my best friend.

The list goes on and on. The worst happen two years ago.

Today? I managed to get back up on stage and performed the best I could, no matter how much I hated doing it. No matter how much I thought it was wrong… But everyone loved it. And for a moment there, I didn't hate it. I actually liked it; and I was almost happy to be up on that stage.

And when Joe said I was amazing…

Sigh.

But of course; the night was ruined when that waitress dumped food all over me and everyone at my table. But hey; it wasn't all that bad. We were able to get free meals for the rest of the time we spend here.

I stood in the bathroom brushing my hair when there was a knock on the door. I poked my head out of the bathroom to Caitlyn who just laid there on the bed watching TV. I sighed and bent over, briefly shaking my hair before standing straight.

"Oh don't worry… I got it," I said sarcastically heading towards the door. Caitlyn glanced at me then shrugged and continued to eat cheese puffs and watch TV.

I opened the door and was met with a rather large man. He stood probably a little over six feet; dark skin and bald. He was on the heavy side, and dressed in all black like he was going to a funeral. He even wore black sunglasses!

"Uh…hi?" I greeted the man awkwardly.

"Is there a Mitchie Torres here?" he asked in a deep voice.

"I am she…" I watched as he sighed and dug into his pocket. By the time he pulled out an envelope, Caitlyn had been by my side.

"Who's the guy?" she whispered, but I just shrugged. I didn't know him.

The large man handed me the envelope and said, "Mr. Shane Gray sends his apologies for the dinner fiasco. Apparently it was his entire fault for the incident. So to make up for it, here are four tickets to tomorrow night's concert with backstage passes."

"You're joking!" Caitlyn exclaimed as she took the envelope. She almost tore the envelope in half the way she was trying to open it. When Caitlyn had the envelope open, she stuck her hand in and took out the passes and tickets. "No way!"

I rolled my eyes discreetly as Caitlyn asked the guy a bunch of questions, and screeching after every answer he gave her. She was stirring such a commotion, my aunt and Emma walked out of their room right across the hall.

"What's all the hubbub-bub?" My corny aunt asked.

"We just got _four _tickets _and _backstage passes to CONNECT 3!'s concert! TOMORROW! NIGHT!" Caitlyn said excitedly. "They've been sold out for months!" And… insert shriek here.

"No way!" Emma exclaimed and grabbed at Caitlyn's hands for the tickets and passes. And there they went –shrieking and talking a million miles a minute.

"Now wait a minute," Aunt Connie said, but the girls completely ignored her, and turned to the large black dude. "How do I know that this isn't some scam?" Ah… leave it up to Aunt Connie to ruin some fun! Note the sarcasm.

"I assure you –ma'am- that this is no scam whatsoever. If you'd like to contact the band's manager-" the guy said, but I had already walked back into the room. I flopped onto my bed by the window and took Caitlyn's cellphone to text Joe. She won't mind. As long as –you know- she doesn't find out and I delete the messages.

I fished into the pocket of the shorts I had worn today and took out the paper with the scratched writing on it. my fingers hit the buttons with skilled practice as I typed Joe's number and wrote to him,

**Hey…it's Mitchie; ha ha. I'm using my friend Caitlyn's phone –she doesn't know; SHH! I was wondering if you're fit to see me later?**

I ran a hand through my hair and gave it a little shake while waiting for a text. It seemed like eternity before Caitlyn's phone played the message tone. The tune was the _Intel _sound you hear –that, bum…bum-bum-bum bummmmm! Thank god her volume was low.

_Nice…and depends; kinda got this thing tomorrow night and I need to be pumped! (fist in air)_

I laughed and texted back, **0o0; Joey has a bedtime? How cute! And don't worry; we'll be up pretty early –or late. Depends on how you look at it. I was thinking… sometime between 3am&5?**

_-_- no… I do NOT have a bedtime :P and alright cool; where and when?_

**Meet me on the elevator at 3am sharp… don't be lateeeee ;]**

_LOL! I won't ;)_

Caitlyn walked right on in after I deleted the texts. She was so giddy as she jumped onto her bed and laid down facing me. Cait propped herself up on her arm and said, "This may sound _so _mean, but I'm glad that Shane Gray of Connect 3 spilt food on us –on you! He seemed to remember _your _name."

I rolled my eyes and laid on my back. "Yeah…weird, huh?" I said, looking up at the ceiling.

Out of the corner of my eye, Caitlyn shrugged and said, "Not really… you did sound amazing. He was probably-"

"-captivated by my voice?" I scoffed, "yeah right."

She shrugged again and got up, heading towards the mini-fridge to get a drink. "You never know…" she sang. As she walked back to her bed, her phone rang –signaling a text- and I made nothing of it as she checked it. I just laid on my bed looking at the TV until she goes, "Mitchie, you used my phone?"

I turned my head sharply in her direction. Inside I was silently panicking. I mean the worst that could happen is that she tells Connie and then BAM! Off I go to my Uncle's.

Oh! And not to mention that she didn't even use the word 'did'; as in: 'Mitchie, _did _you use my phone?' The way she just said it was an accusation and speculation. It wasn't just a question.

"Wha?" I said playing dumb. "What makes you think I did?"

"Cause I got a text." Caitlyn walked on over and jumped onto my bed. She showed me the text. It read,

_Hey Mitchie, I gotta be up at 4am or something like that. You think we could meet up for like an hour before? Or maybe just an hour?_

"Oh…"

"Yeah… so, who is it?"

"Who's wha?" I asked and got off the bed. I went to the bathroom and grabbed my toothbrush. I wet it and then squeezed a reasonable amount on the brush before popping it into my mouth. Scrub, scrub, scrub! I didn't even need to brush my teeth yet, but if it gets me out of answering Caitlyn, then brushing one more time today couldn't hurt.

"Who's the guy!"

I shook my head and ran the water to spit out the toothpaste. I turned it off and put the toothbrush back. "I no no wha u taw in out."

Caitlyn rolled her eyes and sat on the countertop beside the sink. "Oh come on Mitch. I won't tell Connie if that's what you're thinking."

I thought about it for a second and considered what she said. I trust Caitlyn, I really do; but if what I do will get me into trouble –like I'll end up in jail or something- or hazardous to my health, she'll tell Connie. I'm just meeting up with a boy, so… I should tell her right? It's not like we're gonna do drugs or something. Joe doesn't strike me as a guy who would light up.

I finished brushing my teeth, rinsing and all. Then I said, "His name's Joe and I met him in the lobby earlier."

"Say what! Detail's Mitch!"

I giggled and leant on the sink. "Umm well he's about 5'7, dark curly hair, and brown eyes. _Super _cute! We ended up going to Chinatown for ice cream before someone called him and we had to go."

"Aww Mitchie… and then what happened?"

"And then…we got back. he gave me his number and I met up with you two."

Caitlyn looked at me curiously. "And then you bumped into him at dinner right? Was he the guy that was leaving?"

"Yup."

Caitlyn gave an approving nod before sliding off the counter to head into our room. I mentally sighed at this because here we go again! As we were growing up –and I began to get mixed into things- whenever I told Caitlyn something exciting to me, she gives this vibe of disapproval. You don't know Caitlyn the way I do. Nobody really does –and that's including her best friends at school. You would've thought that Caitlyn just became uninterested and decided to leave. But _I _know Caitlyn. And when Caitlyn just leaves, she has an opinion. And usually her opinions about me are not so positive.

"Okay Caitlyn," I said trudging into the room. "What's wrong now?"

"Huh?" she looked up from her phone. I gave her a look. I knew she heard me. "Nothing."

"Yeah… _OKAY!_" I said with sarcasm dripping heavily. I sat on the edge of her bed. "Caitlyn…"

She rolled her eyes and placed her phone down. "It really is nothing Mitch. Just," she sighed, "you're going to meet up with some guy you _just _met. _And _you barely know him. I'm just worried about you."

"You're gonna tell Connie aren't you?"

Caitlyn tilted her head side-to-side contemplating. "I'm supposed to Mitch… unless, I go with you."

"What? No… I'd rather have you tell Connie."

She gave me a one-sided smile and picked up her phone. Immediately I placed my hands over hers to prevent her from making a dreaded mistake. "Wow… you were actually gonna do it."

Cait pulled her hands out from under mine with her phone between them. "Of course Mitchie! He's another one of your 'friend's', isn't he?"

I scoffed. I'm clearly disappointed in her. Here I am, thinking that she'd have my back. "It's not like that Lyn," I said calmly. "I actually like this kid. He's really… something."

Caitlyn quirked an eyebrow. "Yeah _okay…_and I'm a four-legged pony named Bertha."

I cracked a smile and lightly punched her. "I'm serious…don't call Connie. Just- let me out for like an hour and I'll be right back."

"I don't know…" she said, looking away.

"Please?" Caitlyn sighed. "Please Cait, do me a solid."

"Ugh… I've done you one too many solids." Frown! "But, only if you return the favor."

Score! "Sure… anything, Caitlyn."

"Tomorrow when we see Connect 3, _you _are going to get them to sign our T-shirts for the scavenger hunt. Deal?"

I bit my tongue because if I protest, then she won't cover for me. "Okay… deal." And we spit-shake on that.

* * *

**Hey! so sorry for the delay. life's gotten busier. and drama still dwells, but - that doesn't matter.**

**I'm president of a club and dance team captain at my school and my co-president and co-captain (two different people) have been meeting up with me cause we're planing out for stuff next year.**

**Hope you like this chapter :) Thank you those who leave reviews, you guys are AMAZING as always**

**Leave a Review?**

**And to those who's dealing with hurricane irene, stay safe and dry! I know I will**

**-M**


	6. Chapter 6

Okay… so maybe I didn't exactly think this through. I had said yes to meeting with Mitchie without even remembering the number one rule.

I can't go anywhere without Big Rob.

Sigh... He's standing right outside my door. I paced lightly back and forth as I thought of a way to get out. I mean I could go out to the balcony and climb down (yeah if I was a circus monkey and not a top selling artist!). I could just tell Mitchie to come here. Yeah, like that'll happen.

Actually, that doesn't sound so bad...

Mitchie sent me a text a little while ago to meet her on the roof instead. The roof! How the heck do you get up there? What the heck is up there? Is she gonna like, kill me?

"Will you stop pacing?" Jason said without even the slightest attitude or annoyance in his voice. Now usually I wouldn't share a room with Jason because he's a bit… weird; and slow. But since I'm in "trouble" -whatever that means- I have to bunk with either Nate or Jason. So I chose Jason. He and I decided to share a room since Nate has a bad habit of nonstop writing. Nate has this song in mind but he's not sure where he's going with it. So for now he's just messing around on the guitar. Nate'll be up 'til the sun rises and sets again when he's in the zone for song writing. Telling Nate to stop playing music is like telling him not to breathe!

I think he caught this bad habit after his first heartbreak. Perhaps it was after his first crush…

I rolled my eyes and looked at my watch, 1:29am. "Hey Jase, why aren't you asleep?" I asked.

"Huh? Oh… no see, I usually just take a nice nap before we go on tonight, and I can't go on without my ritual nap. It's like… good luck," he said off to the left behind me. I turned around to see what he was looking at and it turned out to be a blank white wall.

I shook my head. "That's ridiculous."

Insert Jason's dramatic, stunned look as he whipped his head in my direction. "No it is not! Mister-Lucky-White-Pants!"

I rolled my eyes and said, "Whatever."

There was a sharp knock and then Nate's head popped through the door. "You two are still up?"

"No Nate, we're just sleep-talking," I said with heavy sarcasm.

"Ha, ha… but you guys have to hear this new song-"

And that's when it hit me. I could use Jason and Nate to get out of this room. Then, I'll just make a little detour and meet up with Mitchie! Nate got his hands into position to play, but I halted him, placing my hands on the neck of the guitar.

"Hey Nate, why don't we just go to the hotel's lounge? I'm sure that the lounge is empty and you can play your song there without disturbing any neighbors," I said smoothly.

Nate and Jason shared a look before shrugging and said, "Sure."

It didn't take much convincing to Big Rob that I'm not gonna do anything stupid with Jason and Nate around. So, after getting whatever they wanted, the three of us ventured out into the hallway. We made small talk about our day until we got to the elevators. Jason hit the button and we waited patiently for the elevator to come. They were jabbing me about dinner, finding it hilarious that I caused a fiasco. Me… not Jason.

The elevator's dinged and the one on the left side opened and we stepped inside, only I stepped out just as the doors were about to close.

"Sorry guys! I forgot something," I said as the doors slowly shut. "I'll meet you down-"

Sighing, another elevator opened and I climbed on, I hit the highest floor button and waited patiently for the elevator to make its way to the top. The elevator doors opened and across the way was a door that read,

**Roof-top pool**

Huh… I guess there really is something on the roof. I made my way and saw that the door leading to the roof-top was being held open by a rock. As I opened the door wider I heard singing. You probably wouldn't have heard it, but against the stillness of the night, it was crystal clear to me.

"_**-would it make you**_

_**Feel better**_

_**To watch me while I bleed**_

_**All my windows still are broken**_

_**But I'm standing on my feet**_

_**You can take everything I have**_

_**You can break everything I am**_

_**Like I'm made of glass**_

**_Like__I__'__m__made__of-__"_ **

_Mitchie__can__really__sing_, I thought as I tried to close the door without a sound, but clumsily, the door clanked against the rock. She gasped and turned around to me, her hand over her heart.

"Oh Joe," she said then smiled, "You scared me."

I blushed and walked towards her as she stood up. She looked cute in her yellow, brown monkey and blue starred pajama pants and a blue tank top. Mitchie's hair was down, blowing lightly in the wind.

"Sorry to scare ya," I said and we sat down on two lounging chairs by the poolside. As I placed my phone beside me, I asked, "Was that… was that you singing?"

Mitchie blushed and looked away at the cool pool water. "Yes, I know… horrible."

"No," I disagreed quickly, making her look at me, "you can really sing, Mitch. You have a voice."

"Umm thanks, I guess," she said uneasily as she averted her eyes from mine. There was a slight pause and her face turned solemn. But just as quickly as she looked sad, it went away and she said more brightly, "so tell me about yourself, Joe."

_Ah well, first off is my name is not Joe. It's actually Shane. Shane Adam **Joseph** Gray. You know; the guy that ruined your dinner. Oh! I'm 18 by the way… yeah. I have two weird brothers, a set of parents, and… OH! I'm a member of Connect 3. You know; that band you've never heard of._

Of course I didn't say all that. What I really said was, "Well, what do you want to know?"

She bit her lip in a cute way as she thought about what to say. Then she said, "like… where are you from; how old are you- that kind of stuff."

"Oh well… I'm from New Jersey, actually, but moved to California a couple years ago… I'm 18? Turning 19 in August..?"

Mitchie laughed and smacked my shoulder lightly. "That's it?" I shrugged, "Oh come on."

"Well then, what about you Miss-Fancy-Pants?"

She rolled her eyes, "Just turned 17 a couple of months ago… From here, but-"

"-staying at your (my) Aunt's this summer," we said at the same time.

"Right…" she uttered. Awkward silence hung around us as we both got lost in our thoughts. Mitchie is some mystery. I want to know what happened, her past, you know? Why she has her guard up almost always. Why did Mitchie give up singing? Who's Mallory? Why is she staying with her aunt? I know I sound like the only creeper, but there's just something about Mitchie that has you wondering. And it's not only her past I want to know. I want to know a lot about her. Like, what's her favorite food or favorite color? What does she want to do in the future? You know, that kind of stuff.

But, Mitchie's seeing this side of me. The side of just a regular guy; how can I expect her to open up to me, if I'm still…Joe? I have to tell her eventually. I'd rather tell her, before having her find out through a magazine or something.

I looked over to Mitchie and saw her thumb gliding on her left wrist. There was a tattoo there in perfect cursive. In the dim lighting, I managed to make out the word. Only, it wasn't a word, but a name: Mallory Luz.

"How many you got there?" I asked. It seemed more appropriate to ask how many tats she has than to straight out ask who Mallory is.

"Hmm?" I nodded towards her wrist. "Oh… umm… three, I think." Mitchie moved and showed me her various tattoos. Mitchie twisted and lifted up the right side of her shirt. There was a tattoo of the words "You make me beautiful" with feathers going down the side on her ribs. "I got this," she said, "sometime in April of last year. It's from the song, "Beautiful" by Bethany Dillon. And I got the feathers last January."

I nodded and she threw her hair up to show me another one. It was behind her right ear. The one behind her ear was a bass and treble clef heart. "This one's a matching tat… it's for our love for music."

The word _our _stuck out to me. She didn't say who, but I was waiting for her to explain. Instead she looked at me with a small smile, obviously in thought. "Wow… and that one?" I asked, pointing to her left wrist.

Mitchie looked down and smiled sadly. "Mallory Luz…" she said softly to the night. Almost as if the name was a secret. Again her finger glided, tracing the cursive. She opened her mouth to speak, but my phone vibrated. It was a text from Nate, but I quickly discarded it. I'll read it later.

"Ah shi-oot…shoot," she started. "Was that the time?"

"Three- eighteen?"

Mitchie frowned and looked at me apologetically. "What are you doing later?"

"Um…define later," I said.

She thought for a minute before shaking her head. "Umm never mind… I'm actually busy." Mitchie rolled her eyes. "Can we do this again? Tomorrow night?" she paused, "tonight?"

I thought about what I had to do Sunday. I knew that we were announcing the contest winners on Hot Tunes in the morning. The winners come up and then we're free to do whatever for the rest of the day. Monday, we're being interviewed on Z100. I think we go home Monday night… or is it Tuesday morning? Wednesday?

"Yeah… definitely," I said with a smile.

"Great…umm, I'll keep in touch," Mitchie said. She gave me hug and with my hand in hers, we walked towards the elevators. Mitchie put the rock that was holding the door open with the others–the rocks lined pink, red and white flowers together- before shutting the door.

I looked at Mitchie funny, "Shouldn't you make sure that the door is locked?"

"I'm sure it is," she said nonchalantly.

Then it dawned upon me. "How'd you get in? You have a key or something?"

Mitchie smirked while hitting the elevator button and said, "I have my ways."

:):):):):)

"_Mitchie wake up!"_

Go away…

"_Mitchieeee!"_

I mean it.

"_Wake up! C'mon!"_

"Leme awone," I muffled from underneath my pillow. The bed shook with every bounce my cousin made. She was legit having so much fun.

"Mom! Mitchie's awake!" Emma called out and climbed off the bed. "Get ready Mitchie! We have an hour to get downstairs. The contest is about to start again." Then she ran off. I sighed underneath the pillow, and forced myself to sit up. I rubbed my eyes tiredly and yawned, inwardly counting the hours I had slept. Let's see… I came back to the room at about 3:15? Maybe? Didn't fall asleep 'til about four…and it's about 8 now. Wow.

"Hey," Caitlyn said walking out of the bathroom. She was scrunching up her brown hair. "You look like shit." Thank you Caitlyn… "Anyways, today's gonna be just as hot as yesterday –just, saying."

I yawned then said, "Wonderful…" I looked around, not thinking about anything in particular. However, I could go for an iced coffee.

From a distance you hear Emma call out, "Mitchie! Caitlyn! Mom and I will meet you downstairs!"

"So…" Cait started climbing onto my bed, "you went to bed pretty late."

I stretched my body. "Yeah." I got out of bed and trudged my way to the bathroom.

"So… what happened?" she asked following me.

I gave a small shrug, grabbing my purple brush and running it through my hair. "Nothing just got to know each other better, I guess."

Caitlyn walked behind me and sat on the counter beside the sink. She drew her left leg up to her and let the other one dangle; still scrunching her brown hair. "Details..?"

I looked at Caitlyn with tired eyes and internally fought the urge to tell her to butt out. But I don't have many friends anymore. Actually, I don't have any _good_friends. I'm not even sure if I've ever had a _good_friend, but Caitlyn's the closest thing to being a good friend. I mean sure, sometimes she can be very anal and a party pooper, but strangely enough that's what I like about Caitlyn. It can also be the thing that I can't stand about her.

"Well…" I started, turning towards the sink, "we just met on the rooftop and talked a little bit about ourselves."

Caitlyn gave me a soft smile that I caught in the mirror. "Looks like someone has a crush," she sang.

I swatted at her and grabbed my toothbrush. "Get outta here… I have to get ready before Emma starts world war 3."

Caitlyn jumped off the counter with an amused look on. "One hour," she sang as she left the bathroom, closing the door behind her. I rolled my eyes and rinsed the brush. Only Caitlyn…

* * *

We were downstairs in the main ballroom, where this lady was announcing the top 3 people in the league. Out of the about forty-five groups that signed up, twenty made it to the next round. Those other twenty-five groups had received prizes like Connect 3 popsicles, an 8x11 signed poster of the band and stickers. It was weird seeing my name, Caitlyn's and Emma's in the top twenty. In fact, we were number seven –Team 34: Mitchie Torres, Emma Torres, Caitlyn Gellar- each name listed below the other.

"Remember contestants, in addition to the twenty clues handed to you, you all will also receive _five_envelopes addressed to your team. Don't go looking for them. Because if you do, that will just delay your clues... contest comes to an end at 5 o'clock. Good luck to all… and have fun, thank you for participating." The woman walked off the stage and we all exited the ballroom, heading to different directions.

"So what do you guys wanna do first?" I asked them. Aunt Connie went off to visit my Grandma Annie in Brooklyn. She said she'll be back by one o'clock, and we'll do a little shopping for the concert tonight (Emma convinced her that she has _nothing_"concert-y" to wear).

Caitlyn pursed her lips in thought as we walked out into the morning sun. She looked at the time on her cellphone and wrote it on the paper. I raised an eyebrow. Caitlyn explained, "It's for time management purposes. Think about it, if the contest ends at five, and it's… ten-fifteen, that leaves us six hours and forty-five minutes to finish twenty questions and get those envelopes."

Ah that makes sense. "So what's the first clue?" Emma asked.

Caitlyn looked at the paper. This time the paper was both handwritten and typed. Caitlyn read one of the handwritten questions, "**i ****wAs ****finE ****till ****7:05/till ****she ****walKed ****out ****the ****door ****aNd ****RighT ****out ****of ****my ****life/if ****you****'****Re ****gone, ****i****'****ll ****move ****on/but ****it****'****ll ****onLy ****would ****hAve ****taken ****two ****seConds ****to ****say/****goodbye, ****qoodbye, ****goodbye****…**"

"Its lyrics," Emma said.

"Obviously," I added.

Emma rolled her eyes. "It's from the song, seven oh five… so what does that mean? Do we follow the time? And if we do, where do we go?"

"I don't think so Em… the contest ends at five," Caitlyn said. She then looked around and thankfully no one from the contest was around. "What caught my eye was how these letters are capitalized." She took out a pen and led us over to a bench. Then she wrote the letters: A-E-K-N-R-T-R-L-A-C.

Emma tried to pronounce it, but gave up. "Scramble the letters around… it must be a place," I said. Yeah I know, 'why are you even helping?' I don't know who the band is and I could care less about the band.

"But what place the city has these letters?" Caitlyn messed with the letters for about five minutes, but none of the words she had written made sense. "Ugh… this is hopeless."

"Well, who was this song written about? It must've been about someone."

Emma shrugged and looked at Caitlyn. "I don't really know," Cait said after some thought.

"Alright… let's go back to the time. What if the time is not seven oh five… but perhaps minutes? They wouldn't just put the time there for no reason right?"

I placed my finger on the zero and Emma said, "Seventy-five minutes?" She thought. "That'd be an hour and fifteen minutes."

"Exactly…" I looked around. C'mon… anyone could be listening for answers, "or it could be fifty-seven minutes."

"Oh…"

"So we got the time… but where do we go in an hour?" Caitlyn asked.

I took another look at the letters. Then I gazed around us. This time, the contest did not really hold any barriers –making the contest a bit more challenging. Though, it's no farther than a 5 block radius. "It could be Central Park," I said.

"But there's no P," Emma said making us sigh.

"True…but look, the second goodbye is spelt with a lower-cased q. And a q backwards-"

"Is a P…" Caitlyn wrote it down, crossing out the used letters. "Okay… so now what?"

"What time did we start?" We leaned closer to the paper, then Caitlyn checked her cellphone. It's been a half an hour. "So do you guys wanna go now? Or at eleven-thirty?"

"Now," Emma said and started dragging us towards the direction of Central Park.

* * *

**Sorry this took forever! SO SO SO busy lately, and that's not that great of an excuse but it's true.**

**Thank you guys for reviewing! it's means a lot! And i know, i still didn't explain the whole Mallory thing, but why don't you guys take a guess. It'll be fun when you actually read what happens ;]**

**Anyways, thank you (again) for reviewing! Love them so much! Next chapter should be the concert, and you know what that means...**

**So tell me what you think in a review:)**

**Until next time...**

**-Have a great weekend!-**


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